Directed by Anna Houston
The Roommate by Jen Silverman (USA) June 19 – July 25 2026
Directed by Lee Lewis
Ensemble Theatre, Sydney.
Reviewed by Frank McKone
July 4th
What a tremendous Saturday afternoon at the Ensemble! The Dapto Chaser at 1:30pm; The Roommate at 4:30pm. And Kirribilli for dinner. Was the 300 kms drive each way worth it? More than, so say I!
As a one-time actor myself (never anywhere near any of these performers), I found one scene in each play especially exhilarating to watch.
I have acted dead, but never as dead as Peter Carroll. You have to breathe shallow and move not a muscle – even the little finger stretched out to the beer can. For ten minutes, at least. Carroll is a master artist, aged 82 and not missing a beat on stage, as the father betting his family’s life away on Dapto’s famous dog racing circuit.
Lucy Bell is as well-known, playing Sharon – letting out a room in quiet Iowa to what turns out to be a nefarious lodger from the Bronx. Her near final scene, in flimsy sexy black, dancing the death of her proper regular lifestyle, is absolutely stunning to watch – the funniest sequence I’ve seen in a long-time. I’ve been laughed at on stage, but.....
Mia Farrow played this role on Broadway, the New York Times writing “Crackles with energy”, which is exactly the right description for Lucy Bell at the Ensemble.
Each play definitely belongs to its national culture.
The Dapto Chaser
I bet Pauline Hanson will want us all to behave, and especially speak, like Mary Rachel Brown’s traditional (loud and white) Australians, gambling all away for the dream of ripping off the owner of the dog-racing business, who is ripping off the gamblers at every turn.
That’s Australia, for you.
And in the end, as the cost of the father’s funeral is more than the two sons can afford, as they continue their father’s obsession, the circuit owner buys their only greyhound, Boy Named Susan, which has proved to be the fastest dog – not for the promised $14,000, but only $10,000: just enough for the funeral.
In her writer’s note, Mary Rachel Brown hopes “this work also contributes to the discourse on generational poverty and the pervasiveness of gambling in our culture.” This, in the end, is the true purpose of presenting the play, showing how the fractious relationships between father, elder and younger sons, now motherless in a failed marrage, are created by the obsession with gambling.
The play was written from the author’s documentary research in the real Dapto, on the coast south of Sydney, in 2011 – before the current spread of social media on the internet, and the misuse of the online platforms to make the business of betting the new form of entertainment among young people – making fortunes for the platform owners, and which at least should be illegal to be advertised.
The Roommate
AI sums up the situation quite simply:
Sharon: A recently divorced, anxious empty-nester in her 50s. She is a somewhat sheltered housewife living in Iowa City who takes in a roommate to help pay the bills.
Robyn: A 50-something, former entrepreneur and scam artist from the Bronx. She is a pot-smoking, vegan lesbian who relocates to Iowa looking for a fresh start and a place to hide her secrets.
This is America, talking in the correct accents – even down to Sharon really being from Illinois. As an outsider, I found it fascinating to see how Belinda Bromilow created a personality which matched her actually suburban New York accent, rather than the Bronx where she had illegally made her money. That suited her decision to leave for country, but not too country, Iowa, when she knew she had gone as far as she could in the scam business – which then fascinates Sharon.
Lucy Bell has the mannerisms down to every instant switch of direction, searching for how to be appreciated, in a recognisable American style. But once again, as in the Australian play, the author is seeking social change. Jen Silverman says:
“Though the play is often discussed as a comedy, for me, it has its roots in that heart-deep loneliness, and in the hunger unleashed by finally feeling communion with someone else.
“It’s rare to see exciting, provocative, complicated, morally ambiguous portraits of older women onstage or on screen. There’s something so sanitized about the images we receive of women who are, say, over thirty-five – and that image doesn’t actually mesh with the 50 and 60 and 70 year old women I know, who are hilarious and complex and fascinating. I wanted to write a play that gave two female characters the same due that older male characters receive much more often, and I’ve loved seeing how theatres across the world have risen with enthusiasm to this challenge, and the incredible actors who have stepped forward to hold these characters. I’m grateful to Ensemble Theatre for giving this story a home.”
Loneliness, and how to survive financially, is the crucial social issue here. I’m grateful to Ensemble for an afternoon of great humour and warmth of concern for better understanding – and I look forward to political action for a better future.
The Dapto Chaser:
Playwright: Mary Rachel Brown; Director: Anna Houston
Cast:
Peter Carroll as Errol Sinclair: The stubborn, ailing, and domineering patriarch who is a former dog-racing stalwart.
Justin Rosniak as Cess Sinclair: Errol’s eldest son, an active dog-racing trainer who deals with financial desperation and emotional volatility.
André de Vanny as Jimmy Sinclair: Errol’s younger, more timid son who operates the electric hare at the track and longs to escape the family business.
Marco Chiappi as Arnold Denny (or Denny): Errol’s wealthy rival and a smooth, oily greyhound owner who enjoys manipulating the struggling Sinclairs.
Set & Costume Designer: Simone Romaniuk
Lighting Designer: Matt Cox; Composer and Sound Designer: Madeleine Picard
Video Designer: Aron Murray; Fight Director: Scott Witt
Stage Manager: Christopher Starnawski
Assistant Stagre Manage: Bella Wellstead; Costume Supervisor: Lily Mateljan
The Roommate:
Playwright: Jen Silverman; Director: Lee Lewis
Assistant Director: Jules Billington
Cast:
Lucy Bell as Sharon; Belinda Bromilow as Robyn
Set & Costume Designer: Simone Romaniuk
Lighting Designer: Matt Cox; Composer & Sound Designer: Madeleine Picard
Dialect Coach: Linda Nicholls-Gidley; Voice of Sharon's Son: Jeremy Waters
Stage Manager: Jen Jackson: Assistant Stage Manager: Maddison Craven
Costume Supervisor: Lily Mateljan
